Improvement in methods of promoting the combustion of fuel in furnaces



G. A. JASPER.

Methods of Promoting the Combustion of Fuel in Furnaces.

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* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAVUS A. JASPER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT m METHODS or PROMOTING THE comeusuou 0F FUEL m FURNACES.

w Specification forming part of Letters-Patent No. 154,865, dated September 8, 1874 application filed August 26, um.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAVUS A. JASPER, of Boston, in the State of Massachusetts,have invented an Improvement in Methods of Promoting the Combustion of Fuel in Furnaces, of which the following is a specification:

I The invention consists in throwing into burning fuel a powerful draft of air loaded with water subdivided mechanically.

l The drawing hereto annexed, and forming a part of this specification, represent a steam boiler furnace, to which my invention is applied. q

' Figure l is a plan below the line as a." of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation through the line a w of Fig. 1.

A is the brick-work of the furnace. B is the boiler; 12 b, theboiler-tube. O is the fire-chamber. D is the ash-box; E, the fire-chamber door; F, the ash-box door. Gis the flue with two dampers, S and S, the latter being perforated.

The foregoing parts may be constructed as shown, or in any ordinary manner in which furnaces are built, my invention not having any special relation to steam-boiler furnaces, and much less to the form or situation of the boiler. 1

ais the grate, and the openings between the bars should be much narrower than in ordinary grates, for although improved results are obtained by applying my inventionto fires of ordinary sized coal, the best results'are obtained when the coal is reduced to a coarse powder. In practical operation in furnaces to which I have applied my invention, I have generally burned screenings only, the grate-bars being one-quarter of an inch apart. H is a fanblowcr forcing air, through the pipe I and branch pipes I I, into the ash-box beneath The draft created by the fan is regulated by a valve, 0. K is a water-pipe leading from a tank in the upper part of the building above the furnace. Its purpose is to combine a small amount of water with the fresh air forced into the furnace through the pipe I, and as the pipe I is divided in the apparatus shown into two branch pipes, I I, the stream of water is accordingly divided into two streams by entering the pipe K, and thence flowing through small pipes 10 into each of the pipes I, where it is broken into numerous jets by striking against disks 0 0, which are attached to the nozzles of the pipes 10 p, asshown. Above-each of the openings of the branch pipes I in the ash-box, about half-way between the orifice and the grate-bars, is ametallic disk, m, (preferably perforated,) supported by a bar, a, set in the brick-work, as shown, which breaks up and equally distributes below the grate the current of air entering from the pipe, in order that the fire may burn evenly over all parts of the grate. This current of air brings with it, and farther divides and distributes, the jets of water thrown off from the disks 0, and the effect of the combined atmospheric air and water passing into the coal (which, where powdered anthracite is used, should be evenly spread over the grates to the depth of from two to three inches) is to produce a practically perfect combustion.

In practice I have applied the above-described apparatus for forcing air and water into several furnaces in one room, using one blower and one maiu-pipejromthe water-tank, the mainflblower pipe I forcing air into several pairs 0f pipes, I I, one pair for each furnace, and each pipe I being provided with a pipe, 1), for a water supply.

I; have obtained good results with drafts varying in force within considerably wide limits, but the best results have been with a blower of a size and speed to supply about one hundred and twenty-five cubic feet of at mospheric air per minute to each square foot of grate. The nozzles of the pipes 19, which I have used, have had a diameter of one thirtysecond of an inch, the pressure being sufficient to break up the streams of water against the disks 0, and to load the air with as much or nearly as much water, mechanically subdivided, as it will carry. There is a cock, 6, in the main pipe K, to regulate the supply of water; but I have. also at times, when the atmospherehas been dry, let an additional stream of water directly 'into the pipe I near the fan, and it is obvious that, within my invention, the water may be supplied in any way which will permit the air entering the fuel from be neath to take up sufficient water in a mechanically-divided condition. For instance, in locomotives and engines, where 1t 1s not convenient to supply water by its fall from a tank, it may be forced into the air-passage by a small 7 pump, the water being broken up by striking against disks on the nozzles of the dischargepipes. So, also, the air may be carried intothe furnace by other contrivanoes than the one I described, provided the draft is made of the through all parts of the grate, to prevent the fire from burning in holes.

I am aware that steam, in combination with air, has heretofore been passed through burning coal for the purpose of assisting in the combustion, by creating a draft and otherwise, and make no claim to such use of steam and air; but there are objections attending the use of steam and air, which do not exist when water is used in the state of minute particles, a serious objection being that steam takes up much more room than water in the draft, at the expense of pure air. An advantage attending the use of water mechanically divided and introduced, as I have described, is that thewatery particles, when they strike the burn ing coals, there burst into steam, and break the coals open by the force of the explosion,

thereby multiplying the surface of the fuel.

With steam, elinkers are not prevented. With water mechanically subdivided no clinkers are formed, and there is no smoke. Another feature of the invention is that watery particles in turning into steam do it at first at the expense of the heat in the grate-bars, thereby utilizing heat, which, for the most part, has I hitherto been wasted, and preventing the grate-bars from burning out. The combustion takes place entirely within the fire-chamber, but while above the grate-bars the fires burn with an intense white heat, below in the ashbox, the temperature is so low that a man may safely enter beneath the fire, and the temperature of the grate-bars is so low that they may be touched beneath by the hand, without in-. jury to the hand. V, V and V are regulating or safety valves. In the drawings V and V are seen from the inside of the furnace. They are all constructed like the valve V shown in section and consist of a pipe leading, respectively, into the ash-box, the firechamber, and the flue, and a mica lid weighted, as shown, but the weight is important only as attached to the ash-box valve. The latter valve is so weighted that it is forced outward when the blast is too strong, and the valve 0 can then be regulated accordingly. Through the valves V and V the condition of the fire and flue may be observed, and it can thus be determined whether the draft is suflicient, and. whether there is the proper supply of water. I claim 1. The method of promoting the combustion of fuel in furnaces, by combining water, in a mechanically-divided state, with a blast of air, substantially as described. V 2. The combination, with a furnace, of the blast-pipe I, water-pipe ,p, and distributing disk or disks, substantially as described, for

' the purpose specified.

GUSTAVUS A. JASPER.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM W. SWAN, OHAs. H. SWAN. 

